Kilocalorie to Watt Hour Converter

A kilocalorie (kcal), also called a food calorie or large calorie, is a unit of energy equal to 1,000 small calories or approximately 4,184 joules. It represents the energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.

The kilocalorie was developed in the 19th century for measuring heat and energy, particularly in nutrition and metabolism studies. It became the standard unit for food energy content and metabolic energy measurements, though many countries have since adopted kilojoules for food labeling.

Kilocalories are widely used in nutrition and dietetics, particularly in the United States, for measuring food energy content and daily energy requirements. They're found on food labels, diet plans, exercise equipment, and in medical and fitness applications for energy balance calculations.

A watt-hour (Wh) is a unit of energy equal to the energy consumed by a device with a power rating of one watt operating for one hour. It equals 3,600 joules and is commonly used for measuring energy in small electronic devices.

The watt-hour developed alongside electrical technology as a convenient way to measure energy consumption in smaller electrical devices. It became particularly important with the rise of portable electronics and battery-powered devices where kilowatt-hours would be impractically large.

Watt-hours are commonly used for measuring battery capacity in portable electronics, energy consumption of small appliances, and in renewable energy systems for small-scale applications. They're standard for smartphone batteries, laptop batteries, and small solar power systems.